I Fought Back

Geetha Chandrasekar

I Fought Back

Geetha is better prepared for life after surviving cancer and intends to make the most of it.

Geetha Chandrasekhar is a brave woman by every standard. She is a beacon of hope and model to survivors of cancer. This becomes clear as you read her life journey.
Geetha is eldest of the three children to her parents. She lost her father when she was 15 years of age. Her mother was the pillar of strength who nurtured their family. After graduating with Science and Diploma in Library Science, she got married at the age of 22 to Chandrasekhar from Hyderabad.

She moved to Hyderabad and started her life as a wife and a strong career woman, shouldering every responsibility that came along by staying in a joint family system. Joined St. Anne’s Junior College for women, Hyderabad, as a Librarian and also pursued further studies in her field of study. Geetha has a son. She started working in Electricity Regulatory Commission, Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad.

Her life could have been fulfilling until multiple tragedies overtook her life.
In July 2014, her husband was diagnosed with cancer. The next few months were spent in the hospital and medical care. Her husband passed away in January 2015 at the age of 52 which rattled her life completely. Suddenly she had to move Bangalore along with her 16-year-old son. She was fortunate to get a transfer to Bangalore. However, fate dealt another blow to her life.

In June 2015, a simple visit to the doctor for abdominal pain led to a diagnosis of rectal carcinoma. She was treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. All of this was painful, as it brought along the recollection of her lost husband’s illness, her mortality and fear for the future of her 16-year-old son. She took all of this with a gentle smile and recovered enough to start her professional life from April 2016.

For past two years, she has become the source of support to her elderly mother, son, her younger sister and her daughter in a joint family situation.

The third blow was the recent death of her mother-in law due to cancer in June 2017. The three strikes of cancer, and still she carries on with her family responsibilities and work. She is learning German and also volunteering to help others in a similar situation.

She sees all the challenges as a means to become strong and move on life as a survivor. She would like to tell those in a similar situation to “treat each adversity as a chapter in the book of life and do not let it become the complete book. When faced with adversity, even though painful, simply turn the page and move on in life.”